Reversible, knife-pleated skirt of the wrap-around type



1959 D. PRESSON 2,898,601

REVERSIBLE, KNIFE-PLEATED SKIRT OF THE WRAP-AROUND TYPE Filed May 10,1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 11, 1959 PRESSQN I 2,898,601

REVERSIBLE, KNIFE-PLEATED SKIRT OF THE WRAP-AROUND TYPE Filed May 10,1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f PJ United States PatentO REVERSIBLE,KNIFE-PLEATED SKIRT OF THE WRAP-AROUND TYPE David Presson, Newton,Mass., assignor to Century Sportswear Co., Inc., Boston, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application May 10, 1957, Serial No.658,351

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-411) This invention pertains to wearing apparel and,more particularly, to a reversible, knife-pleated skirt of the kindwhich opens from top to bottom and which, for convenience indistinguishing it from a circular skirt such as is disclosed in PatentNo. 2,791,779, dated May 14, 1957, which issued to David Presson on hiscopending application for Letters Patent of the United States, SerialNo. 582,017, filed May 1, 1956 (of which the present application is acontinuation-in-part), is here termed a wrap around skirt. However,although the skirt of the present invention is thus termed a wrap-aroundskirt, it is herein illustrated and described as provided with buttons,as one example of means for closing the opening. 7

i The skirt disclosed in the above-mentioned application is of circulartype, having a placket opening in the hip portion to facilitate donningit. However, by reason of the novel construction disclosed in theaforesaid application, the skirt is reversible. Because the pleats havethe appearance of being open from waistband to the lower edge of theskirt at one side, while, at the other side, they are closed at the hipportion, the skirt is distinctively different with respect to theappearance of the pleating at opposite sides. Thus, a single pleatedskirt affords the wearer what is, in efiect, a change of apparelheretofore obtainable only by the use of two separate skirts.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a reversible,knife-pleated skirt of the wrap-around type (as above defined) ascontrasted with the circular skirt of the aforesaid application whichnot only has the distinctive appearance at its opposite sides resultantfrom a difference in the pleating construction but which, in addition,embodies a structure which results in a further difference in appearanceat its opposite sides. A further object is to provide a reversible,knife-pleated skirt of the wrap-around type, that is to say, a skirtwhich has an opening which extends from its upper to its lower edge andlocated, for example, at its front, with fastener venience, been termedthe front or outer side of the skirt of the present invention, andshowing one pleat opened out from the lower edge of the skirt upwardlyso far as is permitted by the closure seam at the hip portion;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the inner or rear sideof the skirt, with one pleat opened out from the waistband to the loweredge of the skirt;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section, to larger scale than Fig. 1,substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section, to larger scale than Fig. 2,substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic transverse section in substantially the sameplane as that of Fig. 3, but showing one side of the front opening, thethickness of the material being indicated by -a single line, and

I Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic transverse section, showing the overlappingpanels which form the closure for the front opening, the material beingindicated by a single line.

A pleat or plait is broadly defined in the New Century Dictionary as Afold of definite even width made by doubling cloth or the like uponitself, and pressing, stitching or otherwise fastening it in place.

While it is true that the skirt herein disclosed is designed so that itmay be worn with either side out, the terms outer or front and inner orrear" are employed to avoid unnecessary verbiage, but without limitingintent, in describing the structure as shown in the drawings and, inparticular, Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. Referring particularly to Figs.1 and 2, the numeral 10 designates the waistband of the skirt and thenumeral 11 designates the body portion of the skirt, the skirt havingpleats. At the inner or rear side, illustrated in Fig. 2,

means, if desired, for closing said opening, and having 1;

means providing finished edges at opposite sides of the opening, forexample, a panel member at one side of said opening designed to overlapan edge-most pleat at the opposite side of said opening and which is ofa character such as to prevent gapping or wrinkling of the skirt at 51%the neighborhood of the opening. A further object is to provide areversible, knife-pleated skirt of the wraparound type, having a frontopening and having stiifening means extending along one edge of saidopening to aiford a proper anchorage for fastener elements. A furtherob- 5.1,.

ject is to provide a reversible, knife-pleated skirt of the wrap-aroundtype having at one side a panel extending from the waistband to thelower edge and whose exposed surface may be of a diiferent material and/or of a different color from the remainder of the skirt. Other andfurther objects and advantages of the present invention will be pointedout in the following more detailed description and by reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

a. Fig. 1 is an elevation showing what has here, for conby a singleline.

. inFig.2.

these pleats are open from waistband to the hem. One of these pleats isshown as having been turned back at B to show that its edge fold is freeto separate from the underlying material throughout the length of thepleat.

, Referring to Fig. l which shows the other or outer side of the skirt,the knife pleats are closed at the upper or hip portion of the skirt,that is to say, from immediately below the Waistband 10 downwardly, forexample for a distance of six inches, by seams S which extend along thefold lines of the pleats and unite the edges of the pleats to theunderlying material. One of the pleats has been shown turned back at Pto show that below the lower ends of the seams S (that is to say, belowthe hip region) the pleats are open and free to be opened out in thesame way as the pleats at the inner side of the skirt. The waistband isprovided with button holes and with buttons 14, 14 and 15, 15 atopposite sides of the skirt so that the waistband may be closed with thesame fasteners whether the skirt be arranged as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig.2.

' In Fig. 5 of the drawings, the arrangement of the pleats and theseams. for closing some of the pleats is shown diagrammatically, thematerial of the skirt being shown Thus, in this diagram, the characterP1 designates a pleat at the front or outer side of the skirt,

that is to say, that side of the skirt which is illustrated in Fig. 1,while the character B designates a pleat] atth,

rear or inner side of the skirt, that is the side illustrated? Herein,for ease in description and referring to the diagrammatic section ofFig. 5, a single outer or front pleat P for example, is considered tocomprise that portion of the fabric which extends from the fold F to thefold F and from the fold F to the fold F, the

will be noted that the exposed portion 16 of the front pleat P and theexposed portion 17 of the rear pleat B are parts of an uninterruptedsingle ply web W of the material, and that this single ply of thematerial intervenes between the edge fold F of front pleat P and theedge fold F of the rear pleat B (which is next to the right of rearpleat B), and that the exposed portion 17 of said inner or rear pleat Bmerges uninterruptedly with the exposed portion 16 of the next frontpleat P to the right of front pleat P, forming the single ply web W. Theexposed front or outer portion 16 of the pleat P is joined at the fold Fwith the concealed portion C of the rear pleat B (which is next to theright of the pleat B). The concealed portion C of the front pleat P isjoined at the fold F with the exposed portion 17 of the rear pleat B. Itwill be noted that each pleat, whether at one or the other side of theskirt, comprises an inner portion C, C or C which is normally concealedfrom view and which is common to front and rear pleats at opposite sidesof the skirt.

It will be noted, by inspection of Fig. 5, that the fold F of the frontpleat P (where its exposed portion 18 join its concealed portion C) liesto the right of the fold F of the rear or inner pleat B (where theexposed portion 20 of the latter pleat joins its concealed portion C Inother Words, the fold F of the rear pleat B is laterally offset (to theleft) and overlaps the fold F of the front pleat P However, betweenthese overlapping folds F and F there is a single thickness or ply ofthe material (designated by the character W) which extends from the foldF to the fold F The stitches of a longitudinally extending seam S passthrough the exposed and concealed portions 18 and C of the front plea-tP, just to the left of the fold F, and also through the single thicknessof material designated by the character W. However, these stitches arenot caught in the material forming either the concealed or exposedportions C or 20, respectively, of the overlapping rear or inner pleat BThe stitches forming the seam S are spaced slightly to the left of thefold F (the spacing being exaggerated in Fig. 5, merely for clearness inillustration). In actual practice, the seam is sufiieiently near to saidfold so that the seam is normally concealed from view at the rear orinner side of the skirt by the fold F of the pleat B A similar seam Spasses through the plies 16 and C of the front pleat P and through thatsingle thickness of the material (which is designated by the character Wwhich extends from the fold F to the fold F A seam similar to the seamsS and S secures the fold of each front pleat to the single thickness ofmaterial which intervenes between said fold and the overlapping fold ofa corresponding rear pleat. As respects all of these seams, while theyare visible at the front side of the skirt (that is to say, the sideshown in Fig. 1 of the drawings), thestitches forming these seams arenot normally visible at the inner side of the skirt (if they areproperly located relative to the fold lines F, F F etc.). With thisarrangement ofv seams, the pleats at the inner or rear side are free toopen from waistband to hem as shown in Fig.2. However, the seam S, Setc. limit the expansibility of the at the hip portion, thus providing atrim fit, whi1e' imparting to the skirt a distinctively differentappearance at its opposite sides.

As diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 6, an opening G which, asindicated by the position of the closure panel N in Fig. l, is locatedat the front of the garment, extends from the midpoint of the waistbandto the lower edge of the garment. This opening is defined by thefinished edges of the inner panel N and the outer panel N. The margin ofthe concealed ply C of the rear pleat B is infolded rearwardly andsecured to the exposed ply 21 of the pleat B by a sewed seam S whichextends from the waistband 10 to the lower edge of the skirt, thusforming the closure panel N which has the same external appearance asany other of the rear pleats. The margin of the ply C of the materialwhich would normally form the concealed ply of the front pleat P isinfolded forwardly and secured to the front ply 22 of the pleat P by asewed seam S which extends from the waistband to the lower edge of theskirt, thus forming the rear element of the front closure panel. Inorder that the front panel N may be stiffer than a normal pleat, therebyto prevent gapping of the opening G when the panels are united by thefastener means and also, in order that the front panel may bedistinctive in appearance as compared with normal front pleats and ascompared with the rear panel N a finish strip A is provided. This finishstrip A is separate from the material forming the pleats and may, forexample, be of different material, or of the same material, but with itspattern distinctively arranged or of a different color. Preferably; thisstrip A is somewhat wider than the normal front pleat. The longitudinalmargins of the strip A are infolded rearwardly. The folded right-handmargin, as shown in Fig. 6, is secured to the plies 22 and C by thesewed seam The left-hand folded margin of the strip A substantiallyabuts the edge fold F of the front pleat P (next to the panel) and issecured to the web portion W by the sewed seam S". If desired, a stripof stiffening material M, for example, buckram, may be interposedbetween the finish strip A and the ply 22, to impart additionalstiffness and strength to the panel.

When the front panel N is lapped over the rear panel N the opening G isthus closed. Fastener means may be provided, if desired, to keep thepanels in closed relation. As here shown, by way of example, each panelis provided with a series of button holes. Buttons 25, normally exposedat the front of the front panel, and buttons 26, normally exposed at therear of the rear panel, have shanks which pass through registeringbutton holes in the two panels and are united by links or rings 27.Thus, whether one or the other side of the skirt is exposed during wear,a row of buttons is visible at its front; and, by unbuttoning thesebuttons, the panels may be separated to facilitate donning or dofiingthe skirt but without danger of losing the buttons. Obviously,equivalent fastener elements may be substituted for the buttons and/orbutton holes, or if preferred, no fasteners need be employed,particularly when the opening G is located at the side or rear.

In the skirt illustrated, the opening G is shown at the center of thefront of the skirt, but it is contemplated, as within the purview of theinvention, to locate the opening otherwise, for instance at one side ofthe skirt; and, it is further contemplated that whereas, as illustrated,the pleats at the outside of the skirt, for example, all overlap in thesame direction circumferentially of the skirt, they may be so arrangedas to overlap in opposite directions at opposite sides respectively ofthe opening G.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein beenillustrated and described by way of example, it is to be understood thatthe invention is broadly inelusive of any and all modifications fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A reversible, wrap-around, knife-pleated skirt of the kind whereinthe pleating of the skirt appears differently at its opposite sides, theskirt being so finished thatflit may be worn with either side exposed,and having a waistband provided with fastener elements: and an openingextending from its upper to its lower edge so that the skirt may beopened out to lie substantially flat, the skirt having a hem at itslower edge, the hem, when the skirt is so opened out, being of a lengthsubstantially exceeding the length of the waistband so that the skirt,when worn, flares downwardly from the waistband to the hem, thewaistband being permanently united, throughout its length, to thepleated material of the body of the skirt by sewed seams, both waistbandand hem extending, without interruption, from one edge to the other ofsaid opening, the material of the skirt, from the waistband to the hem,being arranged to form knifepleats throughout the major portion of itscircumference, the edge folds of the pleats at the outer or front sideof the skirt facing in the same direction circumferentially of the skirtand the edge folds of all of the pleats at the inner or rear side of theskirt facing in the opposite direction circumferentially of the skirt,each pleat comprising an exposed ply and a concealed ply, the exposedply of a front pleat merging with the exposed ply of a rear pleat toform a single-ply web portion, the edge fold of each front pleat beingunited to that web portion which lies directly behind it by a seamextending downwardly from the waistband but terminating in the lowerpart of the hip region of the skirt, said seam being located closelyadjacent 16 said edge fold of the front pleat and having its stitchespassing through three plies only of the material, that is to say,through both plies of the front pleat and said web portion, each suchseam normally being concealed at the rear side of the skirt by anoverlapping edge fold of a rear pleat, the opening which extends fromthe top to the bottom of the skirt normally being closed by overlappingpanels, the panel atthe inside of the skirt being substantiallyidentical in appearance with that of the normal pleat at that side ofthe skirt but having the margin of its concealed ply infolded rearwardlyand united to its exposed ply by a sewed seam extending from thewaistband to the lower edge of the skirt, and the panel at the front oroutside of the skirt comprising a pleat generally similar to a normalfront pleat, except that the margin of the material which would normallyform its concealed ply is infolded forwardly and united to the ply whichwould normally be exposed by a sewed seam extending from the waistbandto the lower edge of the skirt, said front panel also comprising anouter, finish ply disposed forwardly of that ply of said front pleatwhich would normally be exposed, said finish ply being separate from thematerial forming the pleats and having its margins infolded rearwardlyand united by seams to that ply of said front pleat which would normallybe the exposed ply, said seams extending from the waistband to the loweredge of the skirt.

2. A reversible, wrap-around pleated skirt of the kind wherein thepleating of the skirt appears differently at its opposite sides, theskirt being so finished that it may be worn with either side exposed,and having a waistband provided with fastener elements and having anopening extending from its upper to the lower edge so that the skirt maybe opened out to lie substantially flat, the skirt having a hem at itslower edge, the hem, when the skirt is so opened out, being of a lengthsubstantially exceeding the length of the waistband so that the skirt,when worn, flares downwardly from the waistband to the hem, thewaistband being permanently united, throughout its length, to thepleated material of the body of the skirt by sewed seams, both waistbandand hem extending, without interruption, from one edge to the other ofsaid opening, the material of the skirt, from the waistband to the hembeing arranged to form knife pleats throughout the major portion of itscircumference, the edge folds of the pleats at the outer or front sideof the skirt facing oppositely, circumferentially of the skirt, from theedge folds of the pleats at the inner or rear side of the skirt, eachpleat comprising a concealed portion and an exposed portion, saidportions of each pleat joining at a corresponding longitudinallyextending edge fold, the edge fold of an outer or front pleat beingoffset laterally from the edge fold of an inner or rear pleat so thatthe edge folds of said pleats overlap, there being a single ply of theskirt material intervening between the overlapping edge folds of saidpleats, each front pleat being closed by a single longitudinal seamextending downwardly from the waistband but terminating in the lowerpart of the hip region of the skirt, the stitches forming said seampassing through the material of the exposed and concealed plies of said:front pleat and through the aforesaid single ply of material whichintervenes between the edge folds of said overlapping pleats, said seambeing so located that its stitches are normally concealed by the edgefold of the overlapping rear pleat, the edge folds of all of the innerpleats being free to be opened at the inner side of the skirt, thusimparting to the inner side of the skirt the appearance of having openpleats from the waistband to the hem although at the hip portion of theskirt, the expansion of the skirt girthwise is limited by the aforesaidseams, the front and rear pleats which are located at opposite sides,respectively of said opening, being so constructed andarranged as toform normally overlapping panels, each having a finished free edge, thepanel, at one side at least of the skirt, comprising a pleat generallysimilar to a normal pleat at the same side, except that the margin ofthe material which would normally form' its concealed ply is infoldedand united to that ply, which would normally be exposed at said side ofthe skirt, by a sewed seam extending from the waistband to the loweredge of the skirt, the other panel comprising an outer finish plydisposed outwardly of that ply of said pleat which would normally beexposed, said finish ply being separate from the material which formsthe pleats, and having its margins infolded and united by seams to thatply of the pleat which would normally be the exposed ply, said seamsextending from the waistband to the lower edge of the skirt, the openingwhich extends from the upper to the lower edges of the skirt beinglocated at the front of the skirt with the panels extending from themid-point of the waistband down to the mid-point of the hem, said panelshaving registering button holes and connecting elements, passing throughthose button holes of the respective panels which register with eachother, for joining buttons which are normally exposed at the outsides ofthe two respective panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS325,525 Frankel a- Sept. 1, 1885 2,090,724 Drumm Aug. 24, 1937 2,646,571Terry July 28, 1953 2,791,779 Presson May 14, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS33,501 Austria Feb. 15, 1908 480,975 Canada Feb. 12, 1952 729,664 GreatBritain May 11, 1955

